It seems there is no quicker way to strike terror
in the heart of an IT professional (or aspiring IT pro) than to speak those
ominous words:

"First, you'll need to pass a technical
interview."

I've had students who were at the top of their
network training classes call or write to me in a panic, asking what to expect.
As if a job interview weren't nerve-wracking enough by itself, when you add the
word "technical," it becomes a whole different - and even scarier
- prospect. This article will, I hope, help you to overcome your fears and
doubts about the process and tame the tech interview beast.

Before I get into the how-to's, though, I have a
confession to make. Even though I've sat on the other side of the
interview desk on many occasions as the hiring authority, even though I enjoy
the chess-like game of strategy of the job interview situation, even though I am
- after building a highly successful IT business along with my husband,
teaching hundreds of students in computer-related courses, and with eleven IT
books published - pretty confident of my skills and knowledge, I still dread
the "technical" interview.

A Fact of Life

But it's a fact of life in this industry, so it's
important to learn our ways around the tech interview, anticipate some likely
questions (or types of questions) that we'll encounter, and understand what the
technical interviewer is really looking for (contrary to what you may
feel during the interview, most are not sadists who stay up nights thinking of
new ways to torture job applicants with obscure and convoluted interrogatories).

The Purpose of the Technical Interview

The purpose of the technical interview is ostensibly to evaluate your level
of knowledge or skill in the topic areas relevant to the position for which
you're being considered. However, there's more going on in most interviews than
that. In reality, as you struggle to explain the differences between DHCP and
BOOTP or frantically search your memory for the best definition of
"asynchronous," your interviewer is likely to be judging you on any or
all of the following:

First and most obviously, how much
you know about the hardware, operating systems, applications, and/or

How articulate you are, especially
for a position in which you may be called upon to write reports or
documentation, or give presentations to users or upper management.

How poised and
personable you are,
especially in a position like tech support or network administration, where
you will have to deal with many people at all levels of the organization.

How well you handle
stress,
especially if the position is in a high-pressure, time-sensitive
environment.

How innovative you are; that is,
whether you're able to "think outside the box" to come up with new
solutions rather than just spout the party line of the moment.

Whether you've had
hands-on
experience with the products, or you only know the "factoids" you
read in books or learned in a classroom.

How vendor-centric you are; that
is, whether you only know one product line for example, Microsoft or
Novell), or have a broader base of knowledge that is necessary in today's
modern "hybrid" network environments.

How willing you are to take on
extra duties or work overtime when necessary; how much pride you take in
your work and in doing a good job.

How well you balance ambition and
leadership with the ability to follow the instructions and defer to the
wishes of management, even if you disagree.

How loyal you'll be to the company.

How honest you are (including
whether you're able/willing to say "I don't know" when you don't
know the answer to a question).

Whether you have the wherewithal to
find out the answers to those questions and the solutions to those problems
that you don't know.

Wow. That's a whole lot of evaluating going on. No wonder technical
interviews make us so nervous.

Now that you're aware of some of the underlying purposes of the interview,
you should go through the list, and consider how you can tailor your answers
to positively impact the interviewer's impressions in each of these areas.
Obviously, "knowing your stuff" is mandatory, but that alone is not
enough to get you through the interview with flying colors.

Practice Makes Perfect

Practice your interview skills with a technically-savvy friend or ask
yourself questions and then practice your answers in front of a mirror.
Videotaping your practice interviews can be an extremely useful aid. Although
you may be embarrassed the first time you watch yourself "perform,"
you may be amazed at the little nervous gestures or speech habits (for
instance, a peppering of "you knows" or "I means" or
"ummms") you weren't aware of before.

As you review the tape, ask yourself questions like these:

How
enthusiastic do you seem? Do
you project an image of someone who really wants the job?

Does your
body language send
undesirable signals (i.e. slumped posture that indicates laziness or
sloppiness, or shifty eyes that might be interpreted as a sign of
dishonesty)?

Do you respond clearly and
confidently when you know the answer to a question?

If you don't know the answer, do
you say so in a straight forward manner, without being overly apologetic or
appearing perplexed - and then tell the interviewer what steps you intend
to take to go about finding the answer?

Once you've identified the problems, you can work on correcting them. Make
additional tapes so you can see your progress. As you watch, ask yourself
honestly whether you would hire yourself, based on the impression you
make in the interview.

Unfortunately, your actions and words and personality are only one
part of the equation, and whether they add up to a job offer or rejection may
also depend in part on the personality of the person conducting the interview.
We'll consider how you can size up the interviewer's personality type and
mood, and how this information can be used to "fine tune" your
responses, on the next page.